


Father

by DarkMeB



Series: The Willow/Xander Series [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Father-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-10-16
Updated: 2011-01-27
Packaged: 2017-10-12 17:43:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/127388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMeB/pseuds/DarkMeB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>About a boy who loves two girls but can never have either one because of his father.<br/>Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon and Co...They do not belong to me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Little Girl

Willow Rosenberg knocked on the door of her best friends house, expecting a fun evening of math tutoring, ice cream and television viewing. She had no other expectations. It was what she called a free night. There was no Buffy, and there was no hanging out at the Bronze or at the library to research a new demon threat. She shuddered at the thought and hugged her books to herself. She was glad for the chance to spend a normal evening just like a normal evening. Math tutoring was just the thing. There was only one downside to tutoring math.

Xander Harris hated math.

Anything that had to do with math, and numbers...and any type of equation had a tendency to set Xander off. He hated math just as much as he hated vampires, but Willow constantly reminded him that he needed to get a passing grade in math class in order to graduate. She promised to be his helper. She tutored him and tried to help him as best she could. He had said to her many times about math that he just didn't get it. She had assured him that he would. He just needed patience.

Secretly, Willow didn't really mind it at all if he didn't really get it. If he did eventually _"get it"_ then he wouldn't need her to tutor him any more. If she couldn't tutor him in math, then what other possible excuse could she come up with to spend more time with him? In her heart, she knew they would never be more than just friends, but she didn't want to let go of that dream. She wanted him, but he wanted Buffy Summers. And Buffy...she wanted Angel.

Willow sighed. _Wow,_ she thought. _What a weird triangle we make._ Then, she frowned. _Wait...Wouldn't that make a square? Gee, if I didn't know any better, I would think that love is just like math. Very complicated and hard to figure out...yet you just can't help trying to figure out the equation._

The door opened.

She turned her head and looked up, smiling. Her smile, however, began to fade as she felt there was something wrong. The first clue she noticed that something was wrong was the tall imposing figure of Xander's father standing in the doorway. She wasn't quite sure but she suspected he was leering at her.

The second thing she noticed was the smell.

Alcohol.

The smell was quite strong and it caused her to take a hesitant step backward. She had been to Xander's many times before and had smelled alcohol on his father...but there was something different about this time. She couldn't figure out what that something was yet.

Then, Xander's father spoke, and this was the third clue that something was wrong. He spoke, but what he said disturbed her, and the way he said it frightened her. "Hello, little girl. Would you like to come inside to play?"

Willow didn't like the vibes she was getting. Her internal radar was telling her to leave, but her heart told her to stay. After all, nothing bad had ever happened to her before at Xander's. She found herself hugging her books tighter to herself as if they somehow could become a shield.

"Uhm," she began, hesitantly, "I'm here to see Xander, Mr. Ha-Harris."

The man leaned against the door frame and looked at her. "You've got some damn long pigtails, girl."

Willow didn't like the way he was looking at her. She didn't like the way he was talking to her either, but she really didn't know what to do about it. "Oh...well...thank you, uhm..." She tried to look past him into the house. "Xander...?"

Harris let out a chuckle and slapped his forehead as if he had forgotten something and just remembered. "Silly me...Willow. Of course! You're here to help the boy learn his math." He winked at her. "Good luck with that. That boy of mine certainly doesn't have the brains for it. I'd be surprised if he had brains for anything that would actually help him amount to something...But I guess that's just too much to hope for, now, isn't it?" He stepped back and made room for her to get through the doorway. "Come on, girl. He's inside. I'll go fetch him for you."

Willow hesitated, but she entered the house. Harris closed the door behind her, intentionally invading her space. She moved away from him, glanced up at him sheepishly and moved into the living room. She looked around, still holding her books and slowly turned around. She was startled to see that Harris was still standing there, watching her every move. She noticed the bottle of alcohol in his right hand. He was holding it by the neck.

"Uhm...you-you were going to get Xander...?" It came out as a question because she was also asking him to get Xander. Silently pleading for him to go get his son so he would at least stop staring at her.

Harris shook his head. "He's not here."

"He's not? Where is he?"

"The honest truth is, girl...I don't care where he is. All I care about is who is here...with me...right now. And that would be..." He raised his bottle and pointed at her with a forefinger. "...you."

Willow swallowed. She looked toward the door...but he was between her and the only way out. "Mr. Harris...please...I-I don't understand. You--"

"I intend to help you understand, little girl," he said with a leer. He took a slow step toward her as he took a drink from the bottle. "You think I don't know? You think I'm too dumb not to see what you're doing when you come here?"

"I-I'm not doing anything..."

"You're a tease. That's what you are...a goddamn little tease." He took a few more steps closer. "Well, I'm a tease, too. And I'm a real man. That's just what you need to teach you how to be a real girl."

That was enough for Willow. She backed up but could only go as far as the wall. "Mr. Harris, please...you-you're scaring me! Please, stop it. Don't come any closer!"

But he did come closer.

Willow panicked. She tried to move around him but he grabbed her with his free hand and shoved her back against the wall. The books fell from her hands as the horror of what had just happened registered in her mind. _This cannot be happening!_ She tried to go around him again, but on the other side. He laughed and grabbed her again. This time, he slammed her hard against the wall and kept his hand on her throat, holding her there.

"Now why do you want to run off on me now, girl?" Harris snorted and took another drink. "I've got so much to teach you."

She tried in desperation to pry his hand from her throat, but he was too strong. The alcohol only emboldened him. "Please...please, let m-me go!" Her eyes were wide in terror. She could not grasp the horrifying truth that her best friends father was attacking her.

He grinned at her as he leaned his face close to hers. Still holding the bottle, he traced the side of her face with his finger. "Damn it, little girl. You're so soft." He closed his eyes and sniffed her. "You smell good, too. Do you make yourself smell like that... _for him?_ " He looked into her eyes. "You shouldn't bother. He's too stupid to notice. Me, on the other hand. Now, I notice. I have always noticed how pretty you look and how good you smell."

"Pu-please, Mr. Harris, please let me go."

He ignored her. As tears filled her eyes, he touched them with his forefinger. "Aw, you can cry, little girl...because I promise you...when I'm through with you tonight, you're not gonna be a little girl any more. You're gonna be a woman."

He let go of her throat and grabbed for her arm. Willow's fear, however, drove her to act. She snatched at the lamp from the stand she was next to and hit him with it as hard as she could. Not waiting to see where she hit him or how badly, she hurried past him and ran toward the door.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Harris exclaimed angrily.

Willow grabbed the doorknob and began to turn it. Suddenly, Harris was there and he grabbed her by the pig tails. He pulled hard and Willow found herself falling backward. She landed hard on her back and before she could react, she realized that he was going to drag her by her hair. Harris held onto her pig tails and laughed, pulling her toward the darkened hallway. As he dragged her, Willow kicked with her feet and tried to reach for his hand that gripped her hair. She scratched into his skin and caused him to let go with a yelp.

Before she got to her feet, he got a hold of her again. He picked her up as if she were a feather and literally tossed her down the hall toward the place he intended to take her. The master bedroom. Willow collided with the wall first and then hit the floor with a thud. As the tears came, she looked around desperately for something she could use as a weapon. But there was nothing. She looked down the hall and saw him coming.

"You gave me a cut on my forehead with that lamp, bitch!" he exclaimed. "And you made me drop my drink." He clenched his fists together. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Oh my God, Mr. Harris, please! Please, don't do--!"

He interrupted her by hitting her with a closed fist.

Willow hit the floor and lay there, stunned. The side of her face was red from the blow and her lip was bleeding. As she tried to recover, Harris once more reached down for her and picked her up with incredible ease. He pushed the bedroom door opened and carried her inside. Leaving the door open, he moved toward the bed. At the foot of the bed, he tossed his prize onto it. Willow bounced on the middle of the bed and slowly rolled onto her back, rubbing at her face where he had struck her. She suddenly realized where she was and tried to get off the bed. He grabbed her by the right ankle and pulled her back to the middle of the bed as he climbed onto it.

"You're not going anywhere," he told her with a leer.

Helpless, she kicked him in the face with her left foot.

The blow hurt him, but it didn't make him let her go. It did, however, make him angry. He straddled her legs and slapped her in the face with the back of his hand. Then, before she could do anything else, he grabbed her wrists and with one hand, held them above her head. With his intended victim helpless beneath his weight, he leered down at her and enjoyed her futile struggles.

The tears were flowing down her cheeks as she tried to struggle, but she knew there was no way she could get free. She pleaded and begged for him to let her go, but he didn't. With his free hand, he stroked her tear-stained face. "There, there," he told her softly. "It'll be alright. All you have to do is lay there and behave. I'll do all the work and I promise...I'll enjoy every moment of it even if you don't."

He grabbed a fistful of her sweater and blouse and pulled. The clothing shredded like paper in his hands and it caused Willow to cry out. Harris's eyes lingered on pale, soft flesh and watched her slender stomach as she gasped for breath. His fingers trailed softly on her bare skin, making his way toward her bra. His attention was so intent on what he was about to do that he almost didn't hear the voice.

"You bastard."

Blinking, he turned his head. "What?"

And the last thing he saw before he hit the floor on the side of the bed was a baseball bat swinging for his head.

 ****

_______ _______ _______

Xander Harris was full of rage. He had always believed that his father was scum because of the way he was treated and the way his mother was treated. The man cared more about his booze than his own family. Only now it was more clear to Xander that his father didn't care about anyone. When he overcame the shock of what he saw when he stood in the doorway of the bedroom, he had ran to his room for his baseball bat. It was now officially the only gift his father had ever given him that he actually liked. He intended to show his father just how much he could swing it just before he connected with the man's head.

Now Harris was on the floor, in the fetal position, holding onto his head. He moaned in pain.

Xander placed the bat on the bed and took Willow's hands in his. He led her to the doorway, ashamed. "I'm so sorry, Will," he said, avoiding eye contact with her. Then, his rage resurfaced. "You...have to leave. Go to Buffy. She'll help you."

"Xander, please...take me to Buffy's," she pleaded, her arms wrapped around herself as she tried to cover herself.

Xander took off his plaid shirt and put it around her shoulders. "Go. I...have to stay..." A look crossed his face as he swallowed. "There's not enough blood on my baseball bat." He closed the door.

"Xander!" Willow exclaimed. She banged on the door. "Xander, please!"

But he did not answer her.

Crying, Willow turned and ran out of the house. She didn't stop running until she found herself banging on Buffy Summer's door. She pounded on it, gasping for breath. When it opened, she stumbled in through the doorway. Someone caught her, took in her disheveled appearance and cried out in alarm. "Willow! My God, what happened?"

Willow tried to collect herself but her mind was reeling from what she had experienced. She couldn't tell Joyce Summers anything intelligible, but it wasn't from a lack of trying.

 _"Mom!"_ exclaimed Buffy as she was coming down the stairs. When she saw what was happening in the doorway of her home, she quickened her pace. She helped her mother lead the frantic redhead to the sofa in the living room.

"Willow, what happened?!" Buffy demanded as she forced her friend to look at her.

"Buffy, she's distraught," Joyce said with concern. "We need to call the police."

Buffy ignored her. She was focused on Willow.

Willow was trying hard to get focused, too. "Buffy..." she said. "Xander..."

"Where is Xander? Is he okay?"

"He's home..." Willow's tears rolled down her face. "Buffy, he-he's going to kill him!"

She had meant that Xander was going to kill his father...but Buffy took it to mean that someone was trying to kill Xander. She could tell that someone had attacked her friend and assumed that Xander had arrived on the scene to give her time to get away. Xander and Willow didn't talk a lot about Xander's home life...In fact, they never talked about it at all. Now it was beginning to sound like Xander's father had become a little bit too forceful. Whatever it was that happened, Buffy was going to deal with it.

"I'll go get him."

Buffy headed for the door.

Joyce sighed and followed after her daughter. "Where do you think you're going? Whatever is happening at Xander's house, we can call the police, Buffy." She hesitated. She had recently come to know that her daughter was the chosen one to fight the vampires and the demons. A slayer. Slayer or not. The girl was still her daughter. "This doesn't sound like a vampire problem. It's a domestic problem, and that kind of thing is for the police."

Buffy stood her ground. "Mom. Don't call the police. We don't even know what happened over there yet and --"

"It seems to me that we do. A drunk man assaulted a young woman." She glanced into the living room at Willow, who was watching them from the sofa. "The police can take him into custody and then --"

"The police aren't taking anyone into custody. I'm going to see if Xander is okay, and then I'll make sure that this never happens again."

"How are you going to do that, Buffy? Xander's father is not a demon. You can't kill him."

"No, but I can sure scare the hell out of him."

With that, Buffy left the house and ran down the street. She hadn't ever been to the Harris residence, but she passed it enough times and had been recited the exact address enough times by Willow to know it by heart. Buffy reached the house but she slowed down when she saw an ambulance in the driveway. She took a few more steps up the drive as a couple of EMT's loaded a man on a stretcher into the back of the ambulance. She saw the man clearly as Xander's father. There was blood on the side of the man's head and he appeared to be unconscious...or was he dead?

Buffy stopped.

The van's doors closed and a few seconds later, the sirens came on as it backed out of the driveway. Buffy watched it drive down the road before she turned back toward the house. She took a few more steps and stopped again. A woman was on the porch, staring at her.

"Are you...Mrs. Harris?" Buffy asked.

"Xander is in the backyard," the woman said softly.

Buffy didn't really know what to say, but she felt she had to say something. "Mrs. Harris...did your husband attack my friend? Did he attack Willow?"

The woman just looked at her.

"What happened here? Why did this happen?"

Mrs. Harris lit up a cigarette and smoked it. She blew out smoke and shook her head. "I've stopped caring a long time ago." She turned to go back into the house.

Buffy was angry. "Well, maybe you should start caring again!"

She stopped but she didn't turn around. Finally, she said softly, "Go save my son. Perhaps you're the only one who can." She opened the door and went into the house.

Buffy made her away around the house, hoping to find Xander. She found him standing in the backyard, seemingly staring up at the night sky. His hands were shoved into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Xander!" Buffy exclaimed. She quickened her pace toward her friend. When she got to his side, she could see that there had been tears in his eyes. "Xander, are you okay?"

He didn't answer her, nor did he turn to look at her. "How is Willow?"

"She's fine. She's at my house. What about you? Xander, what happened here?"

"I'm tired, Buffy." He ran his hands through his hair. Then, he sat down on the ground and hung his head. "I'm so tired."

Buffy sat down beside him. She had a feeling that she was about to see a side of Xander she had never seen before. "Xander...you need to talk to me. About what happened."

"You don't need anything, Buffy. You don't need me."

She looked at him. "Xander, you're wrong about that. If I didn't have you and Willow as friends, I'd be lost. Maybe I'd even be dead. Do you have any idea how hard it is to live in a town and go to school without telling anyone your big, dark secret? At least you know. And Willow knows. You guys mean more to me than you'll ever know." She sighed. "Why are we talking about me? This is about you. You have to talk to me. Your father attacked Willow. You must have helped get her away." She paused. "What did you do? I saw the ambulance taking your father away."

"I tried to hit a home run."

"What?"

He shook his head.

"Xander, come on. You can't bottle this up! This is eating you up inside, I can see it all over your face."

"Why do you care, Buffy?" He snapped. "What does it matter? You've got dead boy, what do you need me for?"

Buffy stared at him. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I can't have you. I can't have Willow." He shook his head. "I can't have anyone. So stop pretending that you care about me and go away!"

"I have no idea what you're trying to do, Xander, but I'm not going anywhere until you explain yourself. Your father --"

"I know what my father did!" Xander was back on his feet. He turned around so he could face Buffy. "I know what he is! I know what he's capable of! And I'm going to be just like that bastard! You were my only saving grace, Buffy. I...I wanted you. I can't have you. I can't have Willow...because if I did, she would face the same monster my mother faces every day. But if I had you...you would be able to keep me from becoming that monster. You would stop me from hurting you or anyone." He turned away from her and swallowed. "I don't want to be like him...but I know I will."

Buffy went to his side and placed her hand on his back. "You're not him."

"Buffy, I --"

"Xander, you're not him. You're not like that. You would never hurt us. You saved Willow from your father. I don't know exactly what happened here, but I do know that Willow would have faced a worst fate if you hadn't shown up. And to stand up against your worst fear is braver than your father could ever be. Your father attacked someone who could not defend herself. You stepped in and put a stop to it. That doesn't tell me you're like your father. It tells me just the opposite."

He turned to look at her. He was almost back to being himself as he fought to keep his tears back. "He hurt Willow. Is she okay?"

"Willow is back at my house worrying about you." Buffy put her arm around his. "This is what's going to happen. I'm taking you to my house and you, me, and Willow are gonna become bunkmates..." She knew that would bait him and snap him out of his funk.

"Bunkmates," he said with a chuckle. "Wow. My dream finally comes true."

"You'll sleep on the couch, if there's even gonna be any sleeping...Not that I'm implying there will be other things besides sleeping." She patted his arm as she led him back around the house to the front. "The point is, you and Willow are going to stay at my place. Just behave yourself and I'm sure you'll get spoiled. We'll feed you ice cream and watch movies all night. Then, tomorrow...will be a brand new day with many new opportunities."

 ****

_______ _______ _______

The next day came. Buffy found an excuse to leave her house. She walked to the Harris residence, went up to the door and knocked. The door opened and Mrs. Harris let Buffy in without a word. Then, she walked away into another room.

Buffy stepped into the living room where she found Harris sitting in his chair. He had a large bandaid on the right side of his head. His left hand was in a cast and Buffy imagined that Xander had brought down the baseball bat on it.

"Hi," she said.

Harris rubbed his face, but he didn't look at her. "What the fuck do you want?"

"I'm sorry. Have we had our morning drinkie drink yet?"

"I'm just getting started." He raised a bottle of Jimmy Dean at her.

"Is that stuff supposed to blind you from what you did?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Really? You don't remember almost raping Willow, a friend of mine? You don't remember your son beating you with a baseball bat?"

"Get out of my house," he growled.

She stood her ground and placed her hands on her hips, glaring down at him. "Why don't you show me how tough you are and throw me out?"

That seemed to be a good idea to Harris so he rose from his chair and stepped toward her. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You know what? I'm gonna do just that. Throw you out on your pretty little ass."

Suddenly, Buffy moved. She grabbed him by the throat with one hand and with the other, she took hold of his arm which had the cast on his hand. She flipped around and literally tossed him into the air. Harris crashed into the wall on the other side of the room and came crashing down hard. Breathing heavily, he looked up from the floor, staring up at the slayer in wonder and fear.

She stood over him and glared into his eyes. "Not so tough when someone can fight back, are you? You think you want a piece of my pretty little ass? Then get off of yours and try to take it."

Harris didn't move from where he was. He could not escape the fierce look in her eyes and determination. She was not afraid of him and that made him suddenly afraid of her.

"I didn't think so," Buffy told him. "Willow and Xander are my friends, you son-of-a-bitch. What I want to do to you right now is make you suffer for what you did...to both of them! But because you're Xander's father, I'm going to show you mercy. God knows you deserve a lot more than mercy. So I'm just going to give you a warning." She leaned down toward him. "If you ever hurt Willow or Xander ever again, I will come after you. And if I have to come after you for any reason, there will be no mercy."

She turned and stormed out of the house, leaving Harris laying on the floor like a coward to consider her warning.


	2. Fear Of Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This addition is the original story I wrote years ago. I had lost it so I rewrote it and called it Father. I'm glad to have found the original so I can share it here.

It shouldn't have happened...but maybe it was only a matter of time. Of course, the drinking didn't help any. Then again, it never does. It always leads to irrational acts. Once he gets into a drunken stupor, the man he never was became the man he never should have been.

Mean. Selfish. Aggressive. Angry.

This horrible night was always too much for one person to bear. It affected every one, including the parents. Especially the parents.

It began like every other day. Willow, Xander, and Buffy met before school. They fought the dreaded demons of teachers and classes and homework, then when the school day was done, they met with Giles at the library. Surprisingly, nothing was going on in the town with the 50-yard-line view of Hell. Giles simply warned everyone to "keep on their toes", like some kind of suicidal ballet dancers.

They began to go their separate ways, but Xander stopped Willow to invite her over to his house for his Mom's famous Chinese dinner. Willow promised that some Christmas, _Santa's gonna bring the Harris' a stove._ Then she would show up with "bells on". _Uhm, not really! It's just an expression._ Xander told her not to worry about it, but he was now stuck in a scary visual place where images of Willow wearing nothing _but_ bells danced through his head. He found that if he kept on with those thoughts, it wasn't actually scary at all.

They quickly parted ways...until that evening.

Willow rang the doorbell and it opened for her.

"Hi, there, Willow!" exclaimed a seemingly jubilant Mr. Harris. "C'mon in, dear! We've been expecting you."

Willow entered and, at first, nothing seemed amiss. Willow didn't see Xander's father leering at her as she walked into the living room...He was looking at her hair, tied into two separate braids, and his gaze swept downward. He took a swig from the bottle in his hand, his eyes continuing to leer up and down Willow's form. He liked what he saw.

When Willow turned around, she noticed the bottle in Mr. Harris' hand and felt sorry for him. Everyone knew that Harris was a drinker, but he didn't usually drink when company was coming. This time, however, it was different.

The house was unusually quiet.

Willow glanced toward the kitchen. "Uhm, wh-where's Xander and Mrs. Harris?"

Harris took a step closer to her. "I sent them on an errand."

"Oh." She paused and really looked at Mr. Harris. His eyes were blood shot and the way he was looking at her was beginning to unnerve her. "Uhm, Mr. Harris, a-are you okay?"

Harris took another step closer. "Never better, dear."

Willow took a step backward. This wasn't good. She had never really seen Xander's father drunk before. And, she now realized, Mr. Harris was _very_ drunk. She looked behind him at the front door and decided maybe she should just leave. Maybe she could wait outside for Xander and Mrs. Harris.

"I-I better go wait--" she began as she tried to step around him.

But he interrupted her by roughly grabbing her arm and slamming her against the wall. "You're not going anywhere, darlin'!"

Willow cried out as her back hits the wall. She looked up and found him towering over her. Now she could smell the alcohol fumes coming off from him. His hand gripped her arm and squeezed painfully tight.

"Uh, pl-please!" Willow cried out. "M-Mr. Harris, you're hurting me!"

He looked at her face closely. "Oh, poor girl. You don't want me to hurt you?"

She looked at him pleadingly. "Uh, n-no. Please, Mr. Harris. Don't do this. Y-you don't want to do this! I--"

He shook Willow roughly. " _Don't_ tell me what I don't want to do," he said harshly, "and if you don't wanna get hurt, then do as I say!" He dropped his bottle of liquid courage, then he put his now free hand around Willow's throat. He forced her to look up at him. "It's been awhile, ya know...but don't struggle, and I promise not to hurt ya--much." He leered at her. "Did ya know how pretty ya are, girlie?" With his hand still on her throat, he reached one finger up to stroke her earlobe.

Willow whimpered in terror.

"Well, did ya?!" he demands. " _Answer me!_ "

"N-no!" she pleaded.

He chuckled. "Ya didn't know? Ah, well, trust me--you're real pretty."

Willow stared up at him in horror. She couldn't believe that this was happening. She was being attacked by Xander's father. _Why was this happening?_ Willow reached up with her free hand to pull at the hand at her throat, the hand cutting off her air. Mr. Harris laughed and let her try. In fact, he enjoyed her pathetic attempts to move his gigantic hand with her much smaller one.

"Yes, ya are a pretty little thing, ain't ya?" He jerked her face closer to his. "Oh, yea, baby, we're gonna have us some fun."

"N-no..." Willow gasped. "P-please!"

He easily picked Willow up by her arm and throat, dragging her toward his bedroom. Willow tried desperately to grab something, anything to make this craziness stop and to be able to breathe again. A picture frame containing a happy little family portrait crashed to the floor when her flailing hand connected with it. She kicked out with her feet, a lamp shattered.

But it was no good.

Willow was weak from lack of oxygen. She couldn't fight her captor. He was too strong, and the alcohol he had already guzzled just made him even stronger.

And meaner.

Once inside his bedroom, he violently tossed Willow onto his bed. She bounced on it, immediately trying to get off and run away from this horror. He let her get to the doorway, then his hand snaked out, grabbing her braids and dragging Willow back. Laughing, he backhanded her across the mouth, knocking her back onto the bed.

Willow tried to get back up, but this time, he got on the bed with her and straddled her. He grabbed her wrists one-handed and held them over her head. He leered down at Willow, laughing.

With his free hand, he grabbed a hold of her blouse and gave it a tug.

It began to tear.

Tears in her eyes, all Willow could do was plead. "P-please, d-don't do this! L-let me go, Mr. Harris! _Please!_ "

He grabbed her chin and pushed her head back. "I'm afraid I can't do that, sweetie-pie. You see, I've got this gift just for you, and it's real hard right about now." He laughed.

"I've got something hard for you, too, you prick," came a cold, growling voice from behind. "It's called a baseball bat."

Mr. Harris turned his head.

His son stood in the bedroom doorway, holding a baseball bat pointed to the floor. Mr. Harris didn't like being interrupted, especially by his bastard son.

"You're going to close that door and give...us some...privacy," Harris growled menacingly.

Xander clenched his jaw, unable to express his embarassment and rage in words...but he could think of only one way to show his "father" what he thought of what the bastard was doing to his best friend.

Xander swung the bat. He caught his father in the side with his first swing. Second swing...in the back.

Mr. Harris fell off the bed. He tried to get to his feet. Xander swung the bat, rage he didn't even know he was capable of driving his arm. The bat connected to Mr. Harris' shoulder with a sharp _crack_ and he fell to the floor.

Eyes blurring with tears, Xander swung the bat, not even connecting with Mr. Harris. Xander swung again, closer.

And again.

And again.

Xander realized that his swings kept missing because someone was yanking on his arm. He turned numbly toward this person- Willow, he thought- and blearily wonders why she was screaming at him to _"Stop!"_

Xander looked down at his father, unmoving on the floor. Looked back at Willow. Looked back at the thing on the floor. Dropped the bat.

"Oh, God," he croaked, as the realization of what his father- and of what he- had done hit him full force.

"X-Xander..."

He turned his head and looked at Willow. She was trying to cover herself with her torn blouse at the same time she was holding onto his arm. Her eyes were full of tears, and she was visibly shaken. Her lip was bruised and bleeding from when Mr. Harris had struck her. Xander threw his arms around her and held her to him tightly.

"Oh, God, Will!" he sobbed against her. "I'm so sorry!"

Willow couldn't bring herself to talk, so she just buried her face in his neck and cried. They held each other for a moment as they tried to gather themselves together. Finally, Xander managed to hold her at arms length so that he could see if she was all right.

"I-I'll get you a shirt, Will," he said in a whisper. His throat hurt so bad. His mind was numb with grief at what one of his own flesh and blood had tried to do. He glanced down at his father.

Willow looked into his eyes. She finally found her voice. "Xander...d-did you kill him?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

Xander looked down again at his father who still hadn't moved since he had struck him with the bat. He couldn't bring himself to check for a pulse. He swallowed hard.

Willow grabbed his arm. "Pl-please, Xander! Le-let's just leave." In spite of what Harris had tried to do to her, Willow began to think about what could happen to Xander now that he had attacked his father with a baseball bat. She didn't want him to go to jail. She didn't want to lose him. If anything happened now that would make her lose Xander, she would never recover from this. He was her only saving grace. She had to get him away from here.

Xander looked at her.

"Please, Xander..." She grabbed his hand and tried to lead him toward the doorway.

But in the doorway was Mrs. Harris. She stood there, taking in the scene, mouth open in shock, eyes wide. She looked at her husband on the floor at Xander's feet, the baseball bat beside him, her son's face, Willow, her disheveled appearance, her torn blouse.

Neither Xander or Willow said a word--they didn't know _what_ to say.

"Xander," his mother finally said calmly, "take your friend out of here."

That was all she said.

Xander took Willow's hand and he quickly lead her to his bedroom. Without a word, he rummaged into his closet. He pulled out a shirt for Willow, gave it to her--then he stood in his doorway, looking towards his parent's bedroom as she put it on. Her fingers trembled as she buttoned the shirt but when she was ready, she went to his side. He wordlessly took her by the hand and lead her to the back door. He opened the door--he and Willow took off at a run together into the night.

When Xander and Willow were kids, they had built a fort in the woods. The fort still stood, and it was where Xander lead Willow now. Once inside Xander found his lantern still there and managed to light it with trembling hands. He took Willow into his arms and held her as she cried on his shoulder.

For the first time in his life, Xander was speechless. No amount of words could ever be said to change this horrible wrongness that had been committed. His own father had tried to take something from Willow and it didn't matter if the bastard had not succeeded. The attempt was made. The aftermath of the crime was that Willow had to live with it. And so did he. How can she possibly see him as the same old Xander that she had grown up with after what his father has done?

Xander closed his eyes. His arms wrapped protectively around Willow. Her face was at his neck. He held her for a long time. Her cries started as sobs and finally ended with sniffles. He stroked her hair soothingly.

Finally, he can take the silence no more. "Willow...please forgive me."

At first, Willow thought she heard him wrong. Then, she tilted her head, looking at him through her tear-stained eyes. "F-forgive you? Xander, yo-you didn't do anything wrong."

Hs let out a sigh of anguish. "I didn't do anything wrong? What did I do _right_? I-I practically led you right to him! I-I left to get the dinner with Mom, but-but I should have been there when you arrived."

She brought her hand hesitantly to his face, as if reaching for him. "Oh, please...please don't blame yourself for this. X-Xander, you-you couldn't have known. No one could have. He-he never acted this way before...did he?"

"My father's a drunk," Xander said bitterly. "I should have seen it coming. It was only a matter of time, Will." He looked into her eyes. But then he quickly looked away. "Bastard," he said vehemently of his father, but what he was really doing was trying to push his feelings for Willow away. His true feelings for her. She must never know.

"Xander...wh-what if he's dead?" Willow asked softly.

Xander hesitated- to himself, he thought... _I've got to leave Sunnydale.'_ But to Willow, he said, "I don't know."

"Yo-you were protecting me...They can't send you away for protecting me...it-it wouldn't be fair."

He tried to smile at her. "They won't send me away, Willow. I won't let them."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He held her close. Then he sighed. "Will...I have to get you home. You...you should go. My mom could have told your parents what happened."

Willow snuggled against him. She closed her eyes as new tears form. "I-I don't care. I don't want to leave you. I-I can't."

He paused. "Listen to me...go home and make sure they know you're all right. Then come back to me. I'll be here for you." He would have to be now. He couldn't let her come back to the fort and not be there for her.

Willow hesitated. "I-I'll be right back." She looked at him, at his face, his mouth, his eyes. Then she left the fort.

Xander watched Willow leave. When he knew that he was alone, he buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly.

*** *** ***

Willow entered her house through the kitchen. She was nervous and didn't really want to face her parents. What if they had heard about what happened? What if they thought badly of her, that she was a bad girl, or-or a tramp? She almost cried at the thought and she brought her hand to her face to choke back a sob. She was surprised to see that her hands were shaking.

She stood there for a moment, trying to regain her composure.

But she just can't.

She slid down to the floor and began to weep bitterly.

Within moments, she felt hands upon her and realized both of her parents were on either side of her. They were telling her that it was all right, she was safe now, they won't let anything happen to her. Together, her parents engulfed her in a warm and tender embrace and Willow sobbed.

"There, there, sweety," Ira said to his daughter as he looked at her tear-stained face. "We're here for you."

Willow managed to stop her cries and she looked at her parents. "Y-you're n-not m-mad at-at m-me?" she inquired fearfully. She just can't seem to get the idea out of her head that this was all her fault somehow.

"No, sweetheart," Shiela assured her. She shook her head. "No one is mad at you. Mrs. Harris told us what happened, Willow. We're just glad that you're safe. We're glad that Xander was there for you."

Willow wrung her hands. "I-I didn't mean to c-cause so much trouble, Mom."

"Oh, honey. You didn't."

Ira gently wiped at a tear. "You didn't do anything wrong. If anyone ever tells you differently, I'll have something to say about that."

Willow looked at him. "M-Mrs. Harris was here?"

"She still is. She wanted to make sure you were okay." Ira glanced at his wife. "Willow, where is Xander?"

Willow's bottom lip began to tremble. She didn't want to tell them where he was.

Ira reassured her. "Xander is not in any trouble. His father is at the hospital. He told the ER staff that he fell down a flight of stairs."

"H-he did?" Willow frowned. "Why? I-I mean, why did he s-say that, Dad?"

Ira hesitated. "Because the truth would hurt him a lot more than it would Xander." From the look on his own face, it became clear that he would also like to pay a visit to Mr. Harris. There was always the possibility that he still would.

"Th-then he's not dead?"

Shiela shook her head. "No."

Willow thought about that. "Then...X-Xander doesn't have to go away." She was relieved.

The Rosenbergs got up from off the floor and once again, the parents hugged their daughter. Willow felt like crying again, but this time it was a happy cry. She felt so lucky to have such wonderful parents. But then she felt bad when she realized that Xander's parents were not so wonderful. At that moment, Willow saw Mrs. Harris standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

Willow's Mom and Dad watched her, but they didn't say anything. Mrs. Harris hesitantly stepped into the kitchen. Her eyes were upon Willow. "I'm...I'm glad to see that you're okay, Willow." She paused as if trying to form her words. "I...I can't tell you how sorry I am about what my hus..." She stopped and bit her lip. Then she continued, "...what he tried to do to you. But I am. More than you can know."

Willow glanced at her parents. Then she looked at Mrs. Harris. "I-it's okay, Mrs. Harris."

"Oh, it is not okay, Willow. You are such a sweet girl. You're always thinking about what other people are feeling before you even consider your own feelings." She shook her head. "But this is _not_ okay. My husband--" She spit out the word. "--tried to rape you. If Xander and I hadn't of returned at the time we did, he would have raped you." She looked at Willow sadly. "You didn't deserve this. I won't let him do it again."

Willow didn't know what to say. "I-I know you won't."

Mrs. Harris looked at Willow's parents. Then she fixed her eyes upon Willow. "Listen to me, dear one. What I came over here to tell you was this...don't let my son go."

Willow looked at her, puzzled. "I-I don't understand."

"You love him, don't you?"

Willow didn't answer with words, but it was on her face. In her eyes.

Mrs. Harris nodded. "I knew that you did. I could tell." She stepped up to Willow. "Don't let him go."

Willow hesitated. "Uh, b-but...but Xander's not mine to keep. H-he doesn't feel the same way about me as I do about him. I-I always dream that h-he does, and-and I even have this one dream where we-we're having ice cream, and I get some on my nose, and..." She suddenly looked embarrassed. "--and I'm just Babble Girl. Yep, th-that's me. Always babbling."

"Willow...Xander is in love with you."

Willow looked at her. She thought there was something wrong with her hearing. "Uhm, huh-what?"

Mrs. Harris smiled. "Xander is head-over-heels in love with you."

Willow tried to process this into her mind. She turned to her parents. Then she looked at Mrs. Harris again. "X-Xander is in love with Buffy. Or-or maybe he's in love with Cordelia. I-I just know that he doesn't love me. I mean, in a platonic kind of love, he does. But not-not like that."

"Willow, I know my son. I've seen the pain in his eyes as he looks at you and he thinks no one else is looking. The pain in his eyes comes from one thing. Fear." Mrs. Harris put her hands onto Willow's shoulders. "I've heard him cry at night when he thinks no one is there. I've heard him whisper your name when he thinks he's alone. I've seen him stare at your picture he keeps for hours, and he gets this far away, dreamy look on his face. I know he thinks about you."

Willow stared at her. "B-but...but he never told me."

"Because he's afraid of becoming his father."

"What? But, uh, no...No, Xander isn't like that."

"Of course, he's not. But his greatest fear is that one day he will become his father. That's why he struggles so hard to push you away. He doesn't want to hurt you, Willow."

"Well, I-I want him to hurt me if-if that'll make him stay." She paused. "I-I mean, uh, I want Xander to stay! I want him to be with me. He wouldn't hurt me."

"Then go to him and tell him that you know. Tell him that you love him and don't let him go."

Willow looked at her parents.

Ira smiled at her. "Go on, Willow. But don't be out too late. And we'll set up the guest room for Xander."

Willow hugged him. Then she hugged her mother. Then she was out the door and running back to the fort. She was going to tell Xander how she felt all right. She was going to let him have it with both barrels, yessiree, bubba! So he was trying to push his love for her away, was he? He was trying to act like there was nothing there between them, eh? _Weeell, I-I've got a few words to say to you, mister, and-and you're gonna hear me out or else, you bet'cha! I'm mad girl now, buddy boy, and-and you're asking for it when you play with my heart, 'cause I-I need you in my life, I want you in my life, and I'm gonna tell you all of these things just as soon as I can!_

Willow entered the fort and Xander looked up from where he was sitting.

Their eyes met.

Silence descended upon them.

All they could hear was the sounds of their hearts...beating as one.

Willows breath caught in her throat.

Xander slowly rose to his feet. He approached her. He stood in front of her.

All of the words Willow had wanted to say had frozen in her mouth. She couldn't bring herself to speak. She looked deeply into his eyes and he looked into hers.

No words were exchanged.

Simultaneously, they threw their arms around each other, pressing their lips together. No words were necessary. All that they had been through had brought them to this. It was as if their eyes had been opened and they realized that they were meant to be together.


End file.
